Must Eats for First Time Family

[SGMCO]

Be prepared you may not enjoy the most favorite
restaurants that most people rave about.
We have tried all of them and the ones that people love
the most were our least favorites and the ones everyone
else didn't like we found to be the best food for our whole trip.
We've tried all of these and here are the results.

We Loved:
O'hana Best Friends Breakfast (have eaten their 2 times--Good Food--very nice atmosphere--close to MK).
Tony's Town Square in MK (Best food we've ever had at WDW-loved the
Victorian decor--Pleasent quite atmosphere).

We tried and didn't care for at all (even with FD):
Chef Mickeys (gross buffet--food smelled bad--kids touching food--yuck!-
would have cost $104.00 for 3 of us--so glad we were on FD)
Garden Grill (did not care for cafeteria styled food--catfish tasted like chicken fried steak without a hint of catfish--not good at all!)
50's Prime Time (Food Good but felt forced to eat all of food when full--very annoying server with accent could bearly understand and who we were to pretend like she was our Relative--very Loud noisy restaurant!!)
Boma (to Unusual of food--could not tell what some food dishs were made of)

My conclusion is to try all of the restaurants you may be interested in
even though others may like or not like them because you never know,
you may have the best meal of your trip.

Have a Fun Trip!

 

[hematite153]

Be prepared you may not enjoy the most favorite
restaurants that most people rave about.
We have tried all of them and the ones that people love
the most were our least favorites and the ones everyone
else didn't like we found to be the best food for our whole trip.

Yes.

I have found that food reviews which include descriptions of the participants in terms of their eating habits and likes/dislikes are much more helpful than generic reviews.

If I get a sense that "this person has tastes similar to mine" vs. "this person likes a different kind of food" then it really helps me to get a sense of what their review means for me.

Read descriptions and then go with your gut when it comes to making final decisions. At least, that's the method that has worked for us.

 

[Hopefully]

I think you need to make your decisions very soon. ADR's can now be booked 180 days in advance. Folks have been able to make ADR's for January since last July and you may find the most popular restaurnats already completely booked. I would try to be sure that I could get the TS meals I wanted ADR's for before I committed to the DDP.
Our favorites include: Teppan Edo in Japan - a fun meal well presented with good food, we liked Kona Cafe at the Poly, but they have changed the menu since I was there. We loved the Hoop Dee Doo Review at Fort Wilderness, I think your girls are perfect ages to enjoy the show. I liked 'OHana very much too.
Have a Wonderful Trip.

 

[kxmeeh]

I'm starting to get nervous. The only suggestions you guys have made with all my adr's is for liberty tree and CRT. Check out my dining reservations and tell me what you all think....
coral reef (candlelight procession)
liberty tree tavery
CRT then MVMCP
breakfast with mary poppins
mama melrose
cape may for Christmas Eve
and the Polynesian luau for Christmas night.

 

[loopner67]

I'm starting to get nervous. The only suggestions you guys have made with all my adr's is for liberty tree and CRT. Check out my dining reservations and tell me what you all think....
coral reef (candlelight procession)
liberty tree tavery
CRT then MVMCP
breakfast with mary poppins
mama melrose
cape may for Christmas Eve
and the Polynesian luau for Christmas night.

We've eaten at Liberty Tree Tavern and Mama Melrose's. Both restaurants get very mixed reviews here at the Dis, but my family likes both. We enjoy the atmosphere at LTT and we like that the dinner is served family style. It's not gourmet, but it's a nice dinner & the character interaction is always fun there. We went to MMs last April and enjoyed it. We thought it was a nice restaurant and really loved the Sangria.

 

[hematite153]

I'm starting to get nervous. The only suggestions you guys have made with all my adr's is for liberty tree and CRT. Check out my dining reservations and tell me what you all think....
coral reef (candlelight procession)
liberty tree tavery
CRT then MVMCP
breakfast with mary poppins
mama melrose
cape may for Christmas Eve
and the Polynesian luau for Christmas night.

Coral reef tends to get good reviews, but I've never been there because the menu doesn't really appeal to us--we'll likely go next year though.

Lots of people like LTT.

I've wanted to do breakfast with Mary Poppins since it was announced. I don't know if we'll make it, but it sounds fun.

I enjoyed Cape May Cafe when we ate there last year.

Does that help any?

 

[drag n' fly]

Hello seasoned travelers!
We are going to WDW Jan 5 -12 for the FIRST time. We have 4 girls (ages 13,11,10,9). My dining questions are:

Where are your favorite "must eat" restaurants.
Would you recommend the DDP?
We are staying at Saratoga Springs, is it feasible to return for lunch each day or more hassle than it is worth?

Thanks so much, the information is truly overwhelming and your insight is greatly appreciated!

I would get the dining plan. If this is your first time you will need the structure of meals to even out your day plus you have three kids. We found for our family of five we saved 40% as we got to eat in restaurants we normally wouldn't and ordered things we normally wouldn't.
Plan what park you will be in and eat in the park or you waste valuable park time going back to the resort. You can have a resort day and eat onsite.
I would choose (if none are closed for whatever reason), 50's Primetime Cafe, Crystal Palace, Whispering Canyon Cafe, Biergarten, Coral Reef. These are all great dining experiences that the kids and adults will both enjoy along with good food.

 

[pixiedust_in_ak]

Hello seasoned travelers!
We are going to WDW Jan 5 -12 for the FIRST time. We have 4 girls (ages 13,11,10,9). My dining questions are:

Where are your favorite "must eat" restaurants.
Would you recommend the DDP?
We are staying at Saratoga Springs, is it feasible to return for lunch each day or more hassle than it is worth?

Thanks so much, the information is truly overwhelming and your insight is greatly appreciated!

Are you going in just over a month?? I would call now and see what you can get. A lot are going to be totally booked at this point.

With kids at that age a nap will not be necessary everyday, so going back for lunch will be more of a hassle than it's worth. I would schedule in a sleep in day or early night in every few days to recover. On the days you sleep in schedule a late breakfast at a restaurant in or near the park you plan to go to (ie Ohana if you are going to MK).

Some things to look at for the DDP -

1. Can you get reservations at this point? If you can't get 7 reservations then you will not be able to use your table service credits and it will not be worth it.

2. Would you plan to eat 7 ts meals even if you didn't do DDP? If so the plan is worth it for you. If you would mostly eat counter service then it would not be worth it since you will be spending more.

3. Three of your girls will qualify as adults, and pay likewise. Do they eat enough to make it worth it? If they would be eating off the child's menu or are picky eaters then the DDP is not right for you since they pay the adult price.

What I recommend is look at the menus and see what appeals to you. Call and see if you can get reservations. If you find lots that you like and you can get in, then decide about the DDP. Either way I recommend you get on it asap if you leave in just over a month.

BTW, to the DIS!

 

[kxmeeh]

I feel better getting some positive reviews...not that I could even possibly think of changing anything when we leave in 2 1/2 weeks. The only one i am worried about is that it may be too cold for the Poly dinner/show and we may end up grabbing some burgers or chicken nuggets on christmas night. i'll deal with that when the day gets here.

 

[Steffiesunshine]

We are also going in January, 2 adults, 2 11 yrs olds.

I chose not to do the DDP because out of 7 nights, we are going to do only 4 table service meals. I don't like everything to be too structured. I'm more spontaneous when I'm in the parks and we would rather not be held down every day to a scheduled meal. And the past 4 times we have been at Disney, we have NEVER made ADRs, and mostly eaten CS meals, except for a walk up at Biergarten.

I made ADRs at Chef Mickeys, Crystal Palace for breakfast, Coral Reef and SCI-FI , which I think is a MUST for kids. My kids were THRILLED to see they would be sitting in cars eating while watching a old sci-movie on a big screen!

The best advice is to read the posts on this board debating DDP. Some people will even do the math using different restaurant menus to figure out which will way would save money. If your family are big eaters, and definitely would do the 2 meals and snacks every day, it is probably the best option. I have been there where we eat breakfast in the room, and a late lunch, and then no one is hungry, except for maybe a snack later in the evening. I would hate to leave with left over meals.

Good luck!

 

[Shmily1]

I would suggest Coral Reef at Epcot, Crystal Palace at MK for a character meal with Winnie the Pooh and friends, and Cape May Cafe Character breakfast at the BC resort. These are the best restaurants we have tried at WDW. All three are awesome!!! We even made a second ressie for the same trip at Cape May after trying it one time.

I would not suggest going back for lunch to SSR. You won't (or atleast your little ones won't ) want to miss any of the fun you'll be having.

We tried the DDP on our last week trip. It was so convenient! I loved having my food paid for and not having to worry about that. I know that tip and apps are not included in 2008, but I would still be tempted to try it again. It's just one more thing you don't have to think about!

 

[scottsod]

chef mickeys is cool
le cellar is the place to go the best food you will ever eat
if they like Japanese food then the hibachi restaurant in japan is nice
Cinderellas round table is just beautiful and who doesn't love Cindi
prime time in MGM is nice for girls sci fi is i think more for boys but nice and quite, you would think that a room full of kids would be loud but the huge movie screen does the trick
Wolfgang puck awesome too

and we have always used the dining plan and wouldn't go without using it, it makes everything so easy and you don't have to think about or worry about food. just a big big big warning getting the adr's is not easy on short notice but maybe in Jan will be easier

 

[wilda]

Since it's your first trip I would say skip the dining plan and wing it for the following two reasons;
Your going in January so it shouldn't be terrribly difficult to get seated at the majority of restaurants that you are interested in (unless Victoria & Alberts is on the list)
and
It seems that when you are on the DDP your plans are tied to where you will be eating that afternoon/evening. While many people on these boards swear by the plan, I personally think it takes away from the spontaneity of the trip.
There may be a tendency to visit specific parks on certain days just because of ADR's on the DDP. As first timer's to the WDW, you may find you are enjoying a park/attraction and not want to have to leave to keep your dinner reservations.

Whatever you decide, you'll have a great time!

 

[casaazul]

We went last April for our first WDW trip, stayed at POR and did the dining plan.

Our favorite places were:

1. Coral Reef for dinner, right next to the aquarium, great fun
2. Biergarten for lunch. Loved the food, the atmosphere and our kid loved the music and dancing.
3. Tangerine Cafe in Morocco in Epcot. Great lunch!
4. Flame Tree BBQ in AK. Loved the lunch we had!
5. Sandwiches and pasta at the food court at the Port Orleans Riverside.

We did not care for Boma, and I was the most excited about that place! Such a disappointment.

Have a great trip!

 

[DonnaL]

Well, with four girls you must have at the least one picky eater......right? My first suggestion would be to check out www.allearsnet.com and click on the Dining menu bar at the top. You will find every restaurant at WDW listed here......along with their menus. Once you're on the main Dining page go to left column and simply click on each park and resort or better yet start at the top and simply scroll down. Also, don't let everyone scare you about ADR's.....yes, you should make them, however, you're going during a slow week so you should still be able to get ADR's with no problem .......except maybe Cinderella's Table at the Castle. We're there the same week as you (1/4 thru 1/11) and I just made ADR's this afternoon for Narcoosees, Artist Point, and Yachtsman Steakhouse and got all three of my requested dates and times, no problems. I would think with four girls they might like the Character meal at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.......I believe you can do either breakfast or dinner there and they have a nice variety on the menu. We have one table service left on our DDP and I think we may go there ourselves (I've been dying to try the strawberry soup!!) It's only hubby, myself and our youngest (18) son this trip .......so I think the guys may just have to give it up and go to a Princess meal for once. I also agree with Wilda........we're WDW regulars (a few times a year) and this is the first time we're using the DDP........I know everyone raves about it, however, I also feel with it being your first visit you will feel too tied down to when and where your ADR's are and miss other things to make sure you make your ADR on time. As a first timer and especially if you're using WDW transportation you won't realize how long it can take you to get from Point A to Point B. So, while I'm looking forward to DDP.......I don't need to spend all day at MK or Epcot because I've been there countless times, but, I do know for sure if it were my first visit I wouldn't want to leave a park early in order to be on time for a dinner ressie every day. So, if you do decide on DDP keep that in mind and try to make your ADR's either in that park or at a resort within close proximity to that park (ie GF, Contemp, WL,
and Poly are all very close to MK)